Ice tray



Jan. 14, 1936. A c, sMlTH 2,027,754

' ICE TRAY Filed July 28, 1933 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 14, 1936' UNITED STATE ICE TRAY Albert 0. Smith, Larchmont, N. Y.

- mesne assignments, to Serve], Inc., Dover,

assignor, by Del,

a corporation of Delaware Application July 28, 1933, Serial No. 682,543

2 Claims. (Cl. 62-1085) My invention relates to containers for substance to be frozen and more particularly to an ice tray for mechanical refrigerators.

Household refrigerators have been provided with metal trays for the reception of water or other matter to be frozen. However, due to the difllculty of removing the ice when frozen, flexible trays of rubber or the like have been provided. These flexible trays are objection- 10 able in that they require a much longer freezing time than metal trays.

It is an object of my invention to provide an ice tray having both the desirable characteristics of a flexible tray and short freezing time.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be readily apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

The figure shows in perspective an ice tray 20 illustrating one application of the present invention.

In carrying out the invention, a finely divided insoluble material of high thermal conductivity is mixed with rubber and the result.-

25 ing composition molded or formed into a receptacle or tray l having integral partition walls forming a grid H. As well known in the art, the grid may also be formed separately or made a part of a lid for' the tray as disclosed in Pat- '30 ent No. 1,873,508 to C. HfTanger.

On account of the relatively high thermal con-' ductivity of aluminum I prefer to with the rubber finely divided aluminum which may readily be obtained in the form of granules.

36 The aluminum granules do not detract from the flexibility of the tray wherefore the advantages of a rubber tray are retained. On the other hand, the rubber acts as a binder for the high thermal conductive aluminum thereby incorporating in a flexible tray the advantages of a metal container. In accordance with my invention any suitable binder of flexible material may be used orany finely divided insoluble material ofhigh thermal conductivity of which gran lated metals are the best example.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes may be made in the construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawing and described in the specification but only as indicated in the following claims.

I claim: r

1. In an ice freezing receptacle for refrigerators, wall structure formed substantially entirely. of small particles of good thermal conductive metal bound together by a flexible material, thereby providing paths of good thermal conductivity therethrough and adapted'for flexure in all directions to loosen the ice after freezing.

2. In an ice freezing receptacle for refrigerators, wall structure formed substantially entire-- 1y of small particles of aluminum bound together by flexible rubber, thereby providing paths of good thermal conductivity therethrough and adapted for flexure in all directions to loosen the ice after freezing.

ALBERT c. SMITHW. as 

